Wednesday, 15 July 2009

at.algebraic topology - Lifting a homeomorphism, always possible?

No. Take any homeomorphism that doesn't preserve the subgroup of pi1 that lift to closed paths in the covering. For example, take the 2:1 covering S1toS1 take the product with the identity map on S1. Let h be the homeomorphism switching the factors.



In general, I believe a homeomorphism will lift if and only if the associated automorphism of pi1 send the subgroup of the covering to a conjugate.



Another way of saying this is that the category of coverings is equivalent to the category of pi1-sets, and a homeomorphism will lift if the corresponding twist of the pi1-set preserves its isomorphism class.

No comments:

Post a Comment